Home » Streaming Flicks » House Of The Dragon

House Of The Dragon

By the time GAME OF THRONES reached its disappointingly abysmal end, it had already entered the zeitgeist as a bona-fide phenomenon. Even those who didn’t watch were aware of its existence, as it successfully ingrained itself in every aspect of popular culture.

With its epic success, HBO was eager for more and multiple spin-offs were put into motion. The first, BLOODMOON was scrapped after its ambitious and expensive pilot was filmed. That left HOUSE OF THE DRAGON as the first series to head back to Westeros and unveil itself to a rabid fanbase.

Set 200 years before the saga of the Starks, Lannisters, and pals, HOUSE OF THE DRAGON focuses primarily on the Targaryen’s. Long before Daenerys hatched some dragons, rose to power, and went completely bananas, level-headed King Viserys (the constantly underrated Paddy Considine) sat on the Iron Throne but had no male heir to inherit the kingdom upon his passing. As a result, he names his daughter Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) as his successor. Folks weren’t exactly thrilled with the idea of a woman set to rule. Many had their sights set on succession, including Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) whose wife Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) had a possible claim, and even the King’s own Hand, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) has a differing opinion once his daughter Alicent (Emily Carey) and the King have a son together. Meanwhile, through it all, Viserys’s brother Daemon (the seething and scowling Matt Smith) is constantly causing creepy concerns and remains a threat to destroy everything in his wake.

HOUSE boasts some of the same grotesquely violent and opulent visuals that GAME OF THRONES fans salivated over during its initial run, but it does have a distinctly different feel than its predecessor. Though there are a few action sequences to be found (one dialogue-free scene in one of the earlier episodes stood as the stand-out for the entire series) they were not entirely common. By focusing specifically on the Targaryen’s, the scope of the series is much more limited. Whereas THRONES spanned multiple houses and so many storylines that it was often difficult (particularly in later seasons) to reach adequate resolutions to all of them, HOUSE OF THE DRAGON wasn’t bogged down by these same conundrums. It allowed for a much more deliberate pace, as there weren’t constantly warring factions looking to smite one another with ruthless abandon. This worked for some audience members and was a severe detriment to others. Whereas I appreciated the storytelling and character building in this production, I certainly wouldn’t begrudge anyone who prefer the barrage of blood and guts that made THRONES so shocking.

It is the focus on story that allowed me to enjoy this freshman season of HOUSE OF THE DRAGON more than I did the last couple of seasons of GAME OF THRONES. I was slightly surprised (and found it particularly convenient to advance plot points) by the time jumps that happened twice during the season. After growing accustomed to and appreciating the performances of Alcock and Carey, it was jarring when those roles were filled by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke. That’s not to say that the switch didn’t work or was distracting in any way, because it certainly was not. Both have brought deeper nuances to their characters, highlighting the dissolution of a relationship that not only turned friends into foes, but serves as a catalyst of the inevitable bloodshed to come.

As was the case with the original series, HOUSE features a host of familiar faces but does not rely on superstars to sell its wares. The performances by the entire cast are excellent, even if some of the lines they are delivering feel a tad clunky and cheesy at times. At this point, huge names are hardly needed, as the THRONES brand is now all the power you need. Whether HOUSE OF THE DRAGON will continue to build on its engaging opening salvo or it will begin to languish as its predecessor did, will likely serve as the catapult for the future of the entire franchise.